Mark J. Terrill/Associated PressInterim Nets coach Tom Barrise leads the team during its game against the Lakers.“If or when this happens,” Lawrence Frank said last Sunday night, when
he knew that his release as Nets coach was a fait accompli, “the only
thing I really wish for is that they replace me with someone from the
staff. Not for anything, but those guys work their tails off, they
deserve the chance, and they know best what has to be done with this
group.”

See? At least they gave him a lovely parting gift.

Too bad it might expire in 24 hours.

Tom
Barrise, whose face is a map of New Jersey basketball — the Paterson
native coached at Ramapo, William Paterson, Fairleigh Dickinson, St.
Peter’s before joining the Nets 14 years ago — ran the team in Los
Angeles Sunday night, but that was no guarantee that he’ll keep the
interim tag for long.

In fact, Rod Thorn says he has a fairly
long list of candidates to replace Lawrence Frank, whom he fired Sunday
morning because, as the Nets president put it, “sometimes the same
message from a different voice can change things.”

Yes, The Boss says he is including General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe (“Yeah, I will consider him. Possibly. Yeah.”)
in this discussion, and every member of the coaching staff, including
Barrise. Thorn added that he took two calls Sunday from two unemployed
men he is considering. When asked whether one is currently a team
broadcaster, he replied, “No.”

But he added that he has no problem bringing in an outsider.

Doubt
it. There are some good men out there (Avery Johnson, Dwane Casey, Sam
Mitchell, Reggie Theus, P.J. Carlesimo, Eric Musselman, Terry Porter,
et al.) who want another crack at it. Most are getting paid for their
last jobs, so they aren’t likely to jump back in just yet. And even the
ones not getting paid would be wise to stay away.

That’s
coaching protocol. The outsider who lobbies Thorn would be viewed as a
shameless opportunist — willing to elbow more qualified guys aside just
for a five-month payday, run someone else’s system without the benefit
of a camp, work without the loyalty of a staff that knows it’s getting
fired in June anyway, and be management’s toady since he would have no
other choice but to bluff his way through the next 64 games. He’d get
to say this a lot: “Just working from Kiki’s suggestions right now.”

“I
hear what you’re saying,” Thorn said, “but for some guys, this is an
opportunity. They don’t look at it as shameless. They can be familiar
with the team — they could easily watch every game.” (Pause here for
raucous laughter).

Thorn knows the game better than anyone, and
he wouldn’t dream of stepping into an environment as an outsider in
midstream. Yes, Hubie Brown (Memphis) and George Karl (Denver) did it
brilliantly. But they knew ownership was behind them, with a multiyear
reward pending. This team can’t even pronounce the next owner’s name.

So
one should assume Barrise is the only logical candidate — by merit, by
experience, by knowledge — even if Thorn says, “I still got guys to
talk to (Monday), and by Tuesday practice we’ll have someone.”

What does he — or the next guy — need to do over the next five months? Start here:

Find out what they want.Not
even the bosses really know what they want. They say they do, but they
don’t. These are the same guys who look at the record and say, “We
really should have been 2-14 or 3-13,” which is not exactly light years
from the humiliation of 0-16. Frank played veterans because he wanted
to win, but the next guy will probably play Terrence Williams for
entire fourth quarters at the expense of Trenton Hassell — if
management decides that development is still more important than W’s.

Wait out the storm.The
season is lost, consigned into history as a disaster, yet not without
talent and assets. Before long, four more guys will get back from
injury, but the new guy will have to rework the rotation and find the
chemistry that comes with familiarity.

Scream for help.Entering
Sunday night, the Nets were the shooting 26 percent from 3-point range,
the worst of any team in this decade. They cannot win without that
component, and need to get a shooter if the trainer’s room doesn’t
empty out very soon.

Polish the résumé.There
is virtually no chance that anyone from the coaching staff will return
this summer, which is just as well — most of them will be working with
Frank, who by then will probably have a better job.Dave D'Alessandro may be reached at ddalessandro@starledger.com